Tested
by wanderingsmith
Summary: S/W - if only husbands and wives may trade... sooo cliche, but it refused to leave my head


Summary: S/W if only husbands and wives may trade... sooo cliche, but it refused to leave my head  
Warning: none that I can think of  
Rating: PG13  
Disclaimer: I ain't got no money, and nobody'd be daft enough to pay me for this. As it is thought so let it be said; you make the toys, I play with 'em. 

AN: _sorry sorry sorry. it just wouldn't get out of my head! Years ago I did a much more complex version in J/C land and never finished it.. So this is only a brief scene. umm, infringing on myself? rotflol __This has not been betaed, blame me for the numerous mistakes.  
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John returns from a mission to a new planet with Teyla and Lorne and is discussing it with Elizabeth in her office.  
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"From what we saw of the city, they have to have some kind of heavy-duty power sources. If it's not ZPMs, I'm sure Rodney can interface whatever they are."

Elizabeth tilted her head at him with a quizzical smile. "So why didn't you and Teyla..." She wiggled her brows expressively, only half-teasing.

He rolled his eyes, "Well for one thing I couldn't imagine them just taking our word for it and for another I figured you'd want to run the negotiations."

Elizabeth's brow rose, "And...?" If he though he could make such cryptic comments and not explain himself...

"Oh come on, I'm not nearly a good enough actor to remember to pretend being madly in love with Teyla, especially not for any length of time. Never mind the fact that I have a feeling Ronon would kill me for any attempt to prove it we could get asked for."

Trying to dismiss the relief she felt at his admission, Elizabeth was tempted to continue the line of questioning and get him to say something about his second statement. But the firm look he was giving her said he knew what she was thinking and was not going to spill any more, so she dropped it with nothing but a smirk. She had a pretty good idea that having her pick someone else to pretend to be her husband, which she'd have to if he'd put himself forward as Teyla's, would make her oh-so-carefree colonel become temperamental. Not that she could honestly say she'd have enjoyed pretending to be easy with his playing house with Teyla.

She didn't really stop to think about the fact that he was all but saying he'd have no trouble pretending to be madly in love with her. Or that she was allowing herself to get manoeuvred into a situation where she would have to show such feelings for him. How long they could continue to dance around each other this way without burning themselves was something that always rested at the back of her mind, an un-scratchable itch.

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"Let me get this straight. These people won't deal with anyone that's not married??" McKay's voice was incredulous.

"That is what they said Rodney. It has apparently been their law for millennia that only those who have mates may hold positions of responsibility, both among themselves and those they deal with." Teyla was pensive, "It does make a certain sense. More, for example, than only giving responsibility to males, as many cultures do. The Talerian we met said that the historical root of the law was a time of war, when many people lost loved ones and remained alone. Hurting and lonely, making ill-fated decisions." She shrugged, "Not that having a mate necessarily makes people wise... but I can see where it would have avoided some misunderstandings we have encountered over the years." She very carefully did not look at anyone around the conference table, a very faint echo of a smirk showing on her features.

"Yes. Well." McKay shifted uncomfortably, "Nonetheless. You two," He looked pointedly at John and Elizabeth, "do realize these people are not likely, after 'millennia', to just take your word that you're married and hand you a few ZPMs?"

John rolled his eyes. "Come on McKay, what can they ask for as proof; we'll hold hands and call each other sappy names. They're a civilized people..." He responded to Elizabeth's visual daggers with a laughing smirk.

The scientist smirked at the self-deceiving assumption of his happy-go-lucky friend but then got back to business, "And if they have some sort of machine that can tell..."

"Tell what? Seriously McKay, how the heck would a machine make a decision like that?? These people don't predate the Ancients, and we haven't come across anything in their many gadgets that even goes near this..."

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"Please put your hands on the pads." John carefully didn't look at his friends as the Talerian couple showed them all to the machines that would tell their hosts whether they were mated or not. So much for getting power sources for Atlantis. Damned clairvoyant McKay. He shared a grim look with Elizabeth as she stood on the opposite side of the same machine.

_ Flash _

John ran, knowing he wouldn't make it, watching the beautiful alien shoot Elizabeth in the gut. "No!" He screamed, empty hands balling into powerless fists, "I will kill you, if it's the last thing I do." The last was no more than a whisper as the alien disappeared, leaving John kneeling at Elizabeth's side. Gathering her broken body in his arms, knowing there were tears trailing down his cheeks even as dark fury burned through him, competing with the agonizing pain. "I am so sorry, so sorry. Please Elizabeth. God please don't leave me."

"John." Her voice was so weak, so faint, "I'll always be with you."

_ Flash _

John watched the two Labrador puppies chase each other on the balcony, wondering why he felt as though he'd been somewhere else just moments ago. Why he felt so on edge.

"John!" He turned to see Elizabeth hurry toward him with a welcoming grin. He was laughing as she reached him, dissonance vanishing from his thoughts, enfolding her in a hug before lifting her up in his arms for a spin and a kiss, too glad to be home to restrain himself from the exuberance.

"Dad!" Still carrying his playfully objecting wife, he looked up, bracing for the impact when his son barrelled into his legs. He got down on one knee, keeping one arm around Elizabeth to hold her balanced on his thigh. Pulling his son into a hug with the other arm and growling into his neck to make him squeal. When his eyes met Elizabeth's smiling ones over the boy's head, he whispered, "I love you so much."

_ Flash _

As he finished speaking, he was standing, opening his eyes to Elizabeth opening her eyes, both of them shocked, their mirrored words hanging in the air. Minds slowly readapting to reality, trying to assimilate the sudden burst of memories instilled by the tests.

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"We accept you as mated."

Elizabeth's eyes jerked from John to the Talerian man. Seeing out the corner of her eyes her friends doing the same. Using her years of political experience to put aside her feelings and get herself back in negotiator mode until they had leisure to deal with what had just happened. What had been admitted. And heard.

"And we would like to promise here and now that we will never interfere with, nor in any threaten your mates." As John opened his mouth with a questioning frown, the man waved his hand, "Each of you reacted very violently to the first part of the test. You obviously form much more powerful attachments than we are accustomed to. We would not wish to ever trigger such a reaction toward ourselves. Nor have you suspect us of such." He bowed quickly. "Now, if you will follow me, I will take you to our negotiation chamber."

Giving Elizabeth a quick, hesitant glance, John asked, "Could we have a few moments alone first?" He nodded his head at the machines, "Just a few moments?" He figured if the aliens had seen enough to understand their reaction, they aught to realize they'd need to deal with those violent feelings they'd brought up. He would have a Hell of a time keeping his attention on his job if he didn't know where he stood with Elizabeth. He'd do it, but...

The Talerians looked back sympathetically and the woman nodded, "Of course." She pointed down the hall, "Second door to the left, whenever you are ready." And they walked away.

John looked at Ronon and Teyla, mindful that they'd all passed; the two also had a twitchy edge to their expressions and gave him relieved nods, walking a little further away so both couples could speak privately. He turned back when Elizabeth stepped up to him with a familiar mock scowl. "What happened to my running these negotiation colonel?"

He'd have been apologetic if she hadn't slid her hands to his shoulders as she said it. Instead he smirked a little, cupping her cheek hesitantly, still not really believing they'd gotten to this point so suddenly. Not quite ready to simply believe, after all this time, that her feelings could run as deep as his. Let alone that she would be willing to let them out.. But when she turned and pressed a kiss to his palm, his breath caught at the intimacy, a soft relieved laugh escaping him. Trusting what he thought he saw in her eyes to mean it was safe for him to let how he felt show, stepping closer until they were hugging, foreheads leaning together.

Thinking of the 'life' he'd accepted as his during the tests, John shook his head a little, "This is probably going to get me kicked, but..." the pads of his fingers ran down her cheek, their eyes locked, smiling at each other, "you are so beautiful pregnant."

Elizabeth's breath caught with sudden yearning, eyes blurring at the love blazing from his eyes. It was her turn to laugh softly, hands at his temples, unconsciously wanting to hold on to the amazing feeling she got knowing she was intimately not alone anymore. "And you looked like a man in heaven rocking our baby boy to sleep with our 3 year old daughter leaning on your shoulder." And he had; he'd looked up from the sleeping babe in his arms as she walked up to him, one hand still caressing the auburn spikes on their daughter's head. His eyes had been shining with nothing but joy, the softest smile on his lips; all the guardedness he usually wore vanished.

John could see the vision reflected in her eyes, see himself look up from his children to his wife. Feel how unfamiliarly happy he would be. His arms tightened around her, "Our son was 5. Ran out of his room and tackled us for a group hug." Odd how they both accepted the fictional children as theirs so easily

They stood together, enjoying the unaccustomed joy and mutual support they felt, not thinking about anything for a few precious minutes. Internalizing the idea and feeling of this closeness being a part of their life now.

John finally straightened as he heard movement next to him, looking up at Ronon and Teyla walking up to them, the Satedan's arm at her waist very possessively.

The four looked at each other, exchanging rueful looks until John groaned, "Oh crap, Rodney is never going to let us live this down."

Elizabeth blinked at him while in the background Ronon swore too. "The machine! And even without being here, the fact that we're going to negotiate with them will tell him the story..." She dropped her head to John's shoulder with a moan, anticipating McKay teasing for months to come. "This had better be worth it." She mumbled grumpily. Knowing that even if they got nothing from the Talerians, they had already gotten a precious gift out of it; worth anything at all.

AN: _have I apologized already? My brain is just full of sap. Believe it or not, what actually leaks out is actually only a small percentage... Hey! I don't have to apologize for messing with Carson this time! Yay!_


End file.
